Moshi Moshi
by Nagone
Summary: Mio, do you love me? (A Seven Part Story)
1. Monday Night, 1:29 am

**Moshi Moshi**

A Tainaka Ritsu and Akiyama Mio Fanfiction

By Nagone

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**Summary:** When Ritsu calls, Mio comes.

**Rating:** T+

**Genre:** Friendship, Romance, Comfort

**Warnings:** Lots of gooey fluff and some sadness

**Author's Note:** This is a series of seven conversations between Mio and Ritsu late at night when they both can't sleep and long for one another. Also, Mio and Ritsu are older adults (about 22) but live in separate homes. Ritsu lives with an unnamed roommate, whereas Mio lives alone.

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**Dedication:** tumblr users**the-keionbu** and **avielelloy**

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**Monday Night**

**1:29 a.m.**

_Ritsu simply could not sleep._

She tossed and turned, eyes burning from being awake, head throbbing viciously as she tried to snuggle up in her sheets. The room was perfectly dark: not even the bright streetlights outside could enter between her blackout curtains. She was in a loose pair of shorts and one of her girlfriend's tanktops, and her music player had gone quiet. Even with the comforting scent of Mio lingering in the air, mixing with the chemical tang of the heating unit, Ritsu couldn't sleep.

Irritated, she reached out and grabbed at her flip phone and opened it. The bright blue-white light burned her retinas, but she persisted and punched in a few numbers, sight fading from fuzziness into sharp relief. A soft ringing sound echoed into the air.

_Click._ "Um, h-hello?"

Ritsu smiled wearily, glee filling her chest. "Hey Mio," she mumbled, soft and sweet. She knew her girlfriend was asleep and didn't want to alarm her.

_Groan. _"Ritsu, it's..." Mio paused. Ritsu could hear her shifting about her bed. "…1:29 in the morning. What's wrong?" Mio's voice bordered on the line between agitated and concerned. Ritsu sighed.

"Can't sleep again." Mio shuffled on the other line, and static filled the conversation before fading away.

"Be right over."

It didn't take very long before Ritsu heard Mio tap on her first floor window. Ritsu opened it, cool autumnal air pouring in. Mio shivered and clambered in, stumbling and landing in Ritsu's arms. Both girls blushed, eyes quickly snapping downward in girlish embarrassment.

"H-Hey," Mio whispered.

"H-Hey," Ritsu managed.

"Can I…" Mio motioned towards the bed, shifting anxiously.

"Um, oh, yeah!" Ritsu said, nodding towards the bed. Mio sat down on it and kicked her legs up, scotching towards the wall. She grabbed at a blanket and pulled it up over her, holding up the edge for Ritsu. Ritsu climbed in behind her, laying down to face Mio.

"Will… will you be able to sleep now?" Mio asked, voice soft. She yawned loudly and chuckled.

Ritsu nodded, smiling gently. "Yes, I think I'll manage."

"Good," Mio replied. "Remember, this is a one time thing, Ritsu."

"Yeah, yeah," Ritsu said, nuzzling closer to Mio. Mio's hand reached towards her and soon, both of their eyes fluttered close, fingers intertwined with one another's. "That's what you always say, Mio."


	2. Tuesday Night, 3:48 am

**Tuesday Night**

**3:48 a.m.**

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Mio jerked awake, gasping into the night air as she shot upright in bed, chest rising and falling quickly.

A shivered rushed up her spine as Mio blinked herself awake, eyes burning as she rubbed them quickly. She had had a nightmare about Ritsu. Ritsu had left, this time permanently. Her common sense had escaped her and she'd left Mio alone after a fight over moving in, again. She wiped it away a tear and reached for her phone in the darkness. A dial tone sounded in the darkness.

"R-Ritsu?" She tried to keep the sadness from her voice. Her gut twisted.

Ritsu yawned, voice thick with sleep. "Yeah?"

"I…" Mio sniffled, a choked sob breaking her words.

"I'll be there in five." There was no hesitation in Ritsu's voice.

Ritsu met Mio outside, in a pair of baggy jeans and a sweatshirt. Mio instantly wrapped her arms around Ritsu, sobs emptying from her. Ritsu quickly wrapped her arms around Mio. "Mio, what's wrong?" she asked. She rubbed her hand up and down Mio's back soothingly.

"I had a dream about you. You… I…We… broke up," Mio said, whispering. Ritsu snorted and smiled into her hair.

"Silly, I thought it was something serious!" Ritsu joked. Mio jerked away and pouted.

"Well, it's serious to me. I mean, what would we do if we broke up? We… I…" Mio turned away, embarrassed by her influx of emotion. Ritsu leaned against the doorway, arms crossed.

Mio's mind quickly flashed back to earlier when they had discussed the idea of moving in again, for the umpteenth time. Mio wanted to live with Ritsu, especially after how right last night had felt. At twenty-two, she was ready to settle down, to have some form of solidity in her life, even if it wasn't marriage.

Yet Ritsu was still enjoying being young, and wasn't too eager to have a new "roommate" even if it meant it was her partner, or so it seemed. She felt pressured to be mature when she wanted to have fun. Regardless, their argument had been a bit public, taking place at the market checkout line, and Mio had run off to her home, forgetting her groceries on the conveyor belt.

Ritsu placed her hand on Mio's shoulder and Mio instantly hyper focused on the warmth of Ritsu's palm. "Mio," Ritsu began, voice steady, "was it about earlier?"

Mio shook her head no, long hair swishing. Ritsu gently tugged on her shoulder and Mio stepped back into Ritsu's arms, and Ritsu wrapped them around her. "Yes, it is," Mio whispered nervously.

Ritsu sighed and tucked her chin into Mio's shoulder. "I'm sorry Mi-chan. I… I mean-"

Mio sighed. "I know, Ritsu. I understand." She bit her lip to stop the tears she knew were close to falling. She shook her head and stepped back out of Ritsu's arms and walked back to her front door.

"Mio, don't you want to talk about it though?" Ritsu cried. The quiet of the night instantly shattered. Mio winced and nodded her.

"No, I don't." Mio slipped inside the door and pushed it closed. An all too loud click emptied into the air, effectively locking Ritsu out of Mio's house, and possibly her heart.


	3. Wednesday Night, 1:01 am

**Wednesday Night**

**1:01**

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Ritsu lay awake again, her eyes bight red and burning.

Like every Wednesday evening, ritsu had met with the girls today for general practice. They'd had fun, jamming out for nearly an hour before actually settling down for their routine snack. Yet Ritsu had had even more trouble than usual focusing. Her beats were far too slow or noticeably quick, enough that after an hour, Mugi suggested relaxing with a new tea and some petit fours.

Even with a snack, no one wanted to broach what was causing Ritsu her strife: Mio.

Mio hadn't even bothered showing up that afternoon. Ritsu knew why: Mio was still mad at her. Ritsu knew she should apologize, but the words escaped her.

"Well," Mugi began, slowly sipping her tea, "perhaps you and Mio need a… break." Ristu felt her entire body tense. She clenched her plastic force so hard it snapped.

"No, we're fine, I just… wish she'd stop pushing for me to move in with her. I'm good with my place. It's… nice."

Yui noddeda coy smile spreading across her lips. "If it's so nice, then why did you complain about your roommate to me the other day?" Azusa smacked Yui and they both burst into loud laughter.

Ritsu spat out her tea mid-sip and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes narrowed. "That's totally different!" She slammed her teacup onto the table, the warm drink sloshing out onto her hand. She hissed and Mugi got up, quickly making her way to the kitchen.

Azusa chimed in. "Calm down, Ristu. Yui makes a good point," she finished.

Mugi returned, and placed a cool washcloth on Ritsu's hand. She sighed, a chill spreading across the burn on her palm. "I just… I don't want to settle down."

"Why?" all three girls chimed.

"It's… I'm afraid that if I do, Mio and I will… You know," she motioned, good hand wavering in the air.

"Know what?" Azusa prodded.

"…that we'll break up."

Yui was the first to laugh. Azusa followed suit until even Mugi was chuckling. "Honestly, Ristu, that's your fear?" Mugi asked, placing a hand on Ristu's thigh. Ritsu nodded meekly.

Yui clenched her fists eagerly, face suddenly stern,. "Ritsu, we all know that's not about to happen. You love Mio, and she loves you. I might not know much about love, but I do know that when two people try hard, things can work out!" Mugi nodded in agreement, patting Ristu's leg.

"Ritsu, it's perfectly fine to be afraid, but I do think you should reflect on Mio's feelings, too. She is probably just as scared of you two's future, but it's awfully brave of her to ask for you two to move in," Mugi paused, relaxing into her seat. "I think that Mio isn't the kind of girl to do something so rash without thinking ahead. She really does care, you know."

Ritsu nodded, and with newfound resolve, decided to head home, stopping for a bento on the way home.

Yet here she was, once more, awake late at night, shoulders and heart heavy as she lay in bed.

And she _still_ hadn't called Mio.

Flipping open her phone, she typed in Mio's number, but paused before the last digit, closing the phone. A few moments later, she opened up the phone and searched the contacts, thumb wavering over the green "Call" button, Mio's name lit up on the screen.

"Ugh, screw it!" Ritsu jerked up, and in a fit of anger, she threw the phone across the room. It bounced on the carpet and clicked open.

_Ring. Ring._

Ritsu dove out of bed, scrambling to her phone. She grabbed it and-

"_Hello, this is Akiyama Mio. I'm unavailable right now, but please leave…_" Ritsu listened to the entire phone mail, until the beep.

Ritsu didn't even leave a message.


	4. Thursday, 8:29 pm

**Thursday Night**

**8:29 p.m.**

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The backlighting of Ritsu's cell phone burnt her eyes.

She lay still in the darkness of her room, eyes puffy and red. "_Hello, this is Akiyama Mio. I'm unavailable right now, but pl-" _Ritsu clicked the 'end' button.

After a moment, she tried again.

"_Hello, this is Akiyama Mio, I-"_ Straight to voice mail.

Again. _"Hell-" _Again. _"He-"_Again. Again, again, again, again, **again. **"Damnit Mio!"

Her heart felt like it would break.

By 9:50, Ritsu stopped even trying. She simply turned over and covered her face, eyes stinging and burning again.

* * *

_Call number three_.

Meanwhile, Mio stared at her phone. It shook wildly, buzzing across the surface of her desk. Glowing brightly. She knew who's name would be on the screen: Ritsu, of course. No one else would be calling.

_I can't_, she thought. It was too soon. To some degree, Mio felt selfish, but to a greater degree, she felt _wronged_: she had a right to what she wanted, and to her own opinion, and although the twosome rarely argued, the ambivalent feelings in Mio were somewhat empowering. She felt like she might win this argument too, enough that her lips had conjured up a smile.

At least, until the twelfth denied call.

Now, Mio felt guilty, not of her feelings, but of her cruelty. She knew they should talk, knew it was for both of them, but she couldn't stomach the stagnant feeling of being rejected. It still lingered, and she wasn't at all ready to let go, even if if meant not talking to her best friend.

By 8:50, an hour later, her phone still remained silent. Mio took a quick shower, brushed her hair and fixed lunch for the next day. She even cleaned and did a little laundry. Still, her phone was silent, cold and still on her desk. "Come on," Mio begged, picking up her phone. She shook it, as if that'd summon Ritsu's affections. "You're supposed to keep calling and be persistent…" _We're supposed to work together, especially at times like this._

She sighed, flopping down onto her bed, bouncing a few times until she settled. She tucked her legs beneath her, leaning back until her back slid down the wall. She remained that way, despite the growing ache in her neck and back.

All of the sudden, Mio's eyes widened, heart skipping a beat. "Oh no!" she shouted, jerking up. She fumbled for her phone , barely grabbing it. She clutched it close to her chest and jumped from her bed, setting it down on the nightstand.

Mio quickly changed into something warmer, grabbed her keys, and ran out the front door.

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Ritsu couldn't sleep. _Again_.

She knew she would be restless, knew that she would continue to be exhausted, and yet she had hoped for a good amount of sleep tonight. She figured her emotional exhaustion would outweigh her bouts of insomnia, and yet, like clockwork, her body felt awake and aware, even though the room was dark as pitch.

"Mio," she whispered, turning over. She opened her phone and closed it again, sighing loudly. Maybe she could call, but… "That'd be stupid. Fat chance Mio's gonna answer."

_Knock, knock._

Ritsu jerked up and went to her window. She pulled apart the curtains, mouth forming a shocked 'o'. "M-Mio?!"

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Mio hated being out at night, but by the time she had ran to Ritsu's apartment, it was too soon to turn back, and consequentially, too soon to be afraid. Her sudden burst of courage had faded, leaving her cold as the autumnal night. Yet she had to try.

Slowly, she approached the window, careful to avoid the flowers growing in front. She cleared her throat, brought up her hand, and knocked. _Knock, knock_.

She shifted back, hands balled up in her hoodie as she shivered. The curtains rustled, and parted. "M-Mio?!"

Mio felt her face fill with color. "H-Hey," she managed. "I… I thought you might not be able to sleep."


End file.
